Climate-change mitigation in Canadian environmental impact assessments

Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are still developing approaches to address the issue of climate change. The aim of the study is to examine how recent EIAs in Canada have approached the issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when evaluating each individual project's contribution to and impact significance on climate change. Twelve EIAs performed under national legislation in Canada were analyzed. Canada developed approaches to GHG emissions more than a decade ago, and it is now common to assess the emissions and propose some mitigation in EIAs. Large emitters have proposed some substantial measures, typically the latest technologies, to reduce emissions. However, other proposed ideas may still be ambiguous and hard to examine in terms of real effects. Furthermore, there were many ambiguous and/or inconsistent definitions of GHG emission levels as well as significance of GHG emission impacts. The expressions of GHG emission amounts using percent are potentially misleading. In response to these situations, we suggest the use of clear and reasonable evaluations and definitions of GHG emissions as well as their significance.     

Urban transport policy response to global climate change in China

Accompanying with the economic development and the process of industrialization and urbanization in China, the energy consumption and greenhouse gases emission of transport sector increased rapidly. From the viewpoint of how the urban traffic management department should cope with the global climate change, based on the economy, institutional reform, planning and policies in China, the paper analyzed the main important problems and obstacles in the development of urban transport, put forward the corresponding policy recommendations which could lead the urban transport system transform to low carbon emission and become more suitable to the climate change.     

The mitigation hierarchy upside down – a study of nature protection measures in Danish infrastructure projects

This paper presents a Danish study of mitigation directed at nature protection in environmental impact assessment (EIA) of infrastructure projects. The study is based on a document analysis of EIA reports, a workshop held with EIA professionals, and a study of two cases. The paper takes a point of departure in the mitigation hierarchy as a central conceptual framework, identifies which mitigation measures have been suggested in the EIA reports, and compares this to the mitigation hierarchy. Further, the paper explores the dynamics behind which mitigation measures are chosen and later implemented. The findings point to a discrepancy between the prevention principle embedded in the mitigation hierarchy and the actual EIA practice with increased use of nature compensation. Further, the research reveals significant variation in the design of mitigation measures, e.g. in the level of detail used in describing them and the level of clarity as to aims and actions.     

气候变化与青藏高原工程设计

最近半个世纪,青藏高原地面气候发生了一定变化,主要表现在地面平均气温明显上升,冬季、夜间和城镇区域气温上升尤其显著,多数地区降水量呈现不同程度增加。气候变暖对高原地区自然和人类系统产生了一定影响。预计未来青藏高原气候总体将继续趋向变暖,这可能对冰冻圈、河湖系统、陆地植被、农业自然条件、能源气候资源、交通和水利设施、城镇人居环境等产生明显影响。与生态保护和经济社会发展有关的各类大型工程的规划、设计和维护,需要考虑今后气候变化的可能影响,及早制定可行的适应性措施。     

气候变化对陆地生物多样性影响研究的若干进展

气候变化对生物多样性影响的研究日益受到重视。文章总结了有关气候变化对基因多样性、物种多样性和生态系统多样性影响研究的趋势,并对存在的问题进行了讨论。目前,气候变化对生物多样性影响的研究总体上还不深入,研究需要加强。     

中国干旱地区未来大气降水变化趋势分析

对我国的历史气候资料进行了分析，特别对我国华北地区的大气降水的时空分布进行了详细分析，在联合国政府间气候变化协调委员会（IPCC）推荐的若干个全球气候变化模式中选择了5个比较公认的模式，对我国未来（2030年）大气降水的变化趋势进行了初步分析，并总结了5个模型预测结果，对未来我国北方地区大气降水是否能缓解北方干旱给出了初步的判断。     

Building resilience to shocks of climate change in Ghana's cocoa production and its effect on productivity and incomes

Climate change is happening and cocoa producers are aware of its causes as well as its effects on their farms. However empirical evidence has revealed that a small number of farmers adopt climate change adaptation technologies to build resilience to the shocks meted out to them by climate change. In this paper, using data from Ghana, we employ propensity score matching to control for selection bias and to analyse adoption of adaptation technologies, its determinants as well as impact on cocoa productivity and incomes. The results showed that most cocoa farmers do not adopt climate change adaptation technologies and for those who adopt some technologies, diversification of income sources was the major innovation. Also, eight factors including gender, age of respondent, involvement in other economic activities, farm size, membership of a farmer association, access to extension service, access to credit as well as annual income from cocoa production were found to significantly influence adoption of climate change adaptation technologies. Finally, cocoa farmers who adopted climate change adaptation technologies recorded significantly higher farm productivities and incomes vis-à-vis non-adopters. To build resilience, cocoa farmers are encouraged to join farmer based organizations and extension officers should be supported to be able to reach out to farmers to educate them on climate change resilience technologies.     

水利标准化应对气候变化浅析

当今世界正面临着严峻气候变化带来的挑战,而气候变化的挑战本质是水问题的挑战。气候变化引发了一系列的水资源与水安全问题,而应对气候变化有两个途径:一是减缓,二是适应。本文从标准化的作用机理和作用过程出发,就水利标准化应对气候变化方面,提出要加大前期研究力度、完善现行标准体系与规划、优先安排急需标准、强化标准实施、积极推进标准体制改革等建议。     

关于气候变化的哲学思考

从哲学的基本原理出发,引用地史及水文气象资料探讨了全球气候变化问题,指出全球气候一直在变化;气候变化的动力主要在天在地而不在人;当今的气候变化可能只是气候变化总过程中的一个波动阶段而非永远的趋势,且其变幅并未超出历史上气候变化的范畴。因此,不能断言全球气候变暖是由于人为排放CO2所致。所以对于不同时空条件下的气候变化应当具体矛盾具体分析具体解决,进而提出了中国应对气候变化的对策建议。     

生物炭应用技术研究

对生物炭研究历史、现状、存在的问题及产业化前景进行了综合分析与评述,重点阐述了生物炭在能源、环境、农业等领域的应用价值与重要作用。认为生物炭在应对气候与环境变化、固碳减排、保障能源安全和粮食安全等方面都具有重要应用价值和现实意义。文章提出了以农林废弃物资源化利用为基础的生物炭研究发展方向、建议和产业化开发与应用的技术途径。为推动生物炭工程技术创新与产业化发展提供参考依据。     

An integrated impact assessment of the effects of climate change on the Pacific Northwest salmon fishery

Typically natural resource managers do not consider the implications of climate change even though natural resources depend on specific climatic conditions. This omission stems from the uncertainty associated with climate-change research, and an inability to apply that research to decision-making. This paper suggests that an impact assessment approach can be used to assess the impact that climate change may have on natural resource decisions demonstrating the approach by examining salmon fisheries in the Pacific Northwest.     

惯容减震(振)系统及其研究进展

惯容是一种两端点加速度相关型新型结构控制元件。惯容减震（振）系统是包含惯容元件的结构振动控制系统。该文整理并总结了国内外学者在惯容及惯容减震（振）系统方面取得的大量研究成果,从惯容的实现机理、惯容减震（振）系统性能、惯容减震（振）结构体系的分析设计三个方面介绍、论述惯容的原理及其在减震（振）控制领域的发展历程与研究现状。相比于传统减震（振）系统,惯容减震（振）系统具有如下优势：能够实现惯性的灵活调整和频率的调节、改变结构惯性同时基本不改变结构的物理质量、提高惯容系统中消能器的耗能效率。该文旨在梳理惯容减震（振）系统的发展脉络与现状,为惯容减震（振）系统在结构振动控制中的应用提供理论依据和设计参考,以推进惯容减震（振）系统理论与实践的持续发展。     

Extinction risk and eco-evolutionary dynamics in a variable environment with increasing frequency of extreme events

One of the most dramatic consequences of climate change will be the intensification and increased frequency of extreme events. I used numerical simulations to understand and predict the consequences of directional trend (i.e. mean state) and increased variability of a climate variable (e.g. temperature), increased probability of occurrence of point extreme events (e.g. floods), selection pressure and effect size of mutations on a quantitative trait determining individual fitness, as well as the their effects on the population and genetic dynamics of a population of moderate size. The interaction among climate trend, variability and probability of point extremes had a minor effect on risk of extinction, time to extinction and distribution of the trait after accounting for their independent effects. The survival chances of a population strongly and linearly decreased with increasing strength of selection, as well as with increasing climate trend and variability. Mutation amplitude had no effects on extinction risk, time to extinction or genetic adaptation to the new climate. Climate trend and strength of selection largely determined the shift of the mean phenotype in the population. The extinction or persistence of the populations in an ‘extinction window’ of 10 years was well predicted by a simple model including mean population size and mean genetic variance over a 10-year time frame preceding the ‘extinction window’, although genetic variance had a smaller role than population size in predicting contemporary risk of extinction.     

Hierarchical asphalt pavement deterioration model for climate impact studies

Quantification of the impacts of projected climate change on road pavement performance is possible using predictive models that correctly consider key causal factors of pavement deterioration. These factors include climate, traffic, properties of materials and the design of pavements. This paper presents a new model developed to predict rutting in asphalt surfacing. In addition to the key causal factors of road deterioration, the developed model takes into account several sources of uncertainties, particularly those inherent in future climate change predictions and model input parameters. The asphalt surfacing rut depth progression model was developed from a hierarchical road network data structure using a Bayesian regression approach resulting in a model for each surfacing group. The model was applied within a Monte Carlo simulation framework to derive probabilistic outputs of pavement rut depth progression and maintenance costs under the pre-determined future climate scenarios. This model is useful for application at both the network and project levels to develop road management strategies and policies.     

Blockchain applications in supply chains,transport and logistics: a systematic review of the literature

This paper presents current academic and industrial frontiers on blockchain application in supply chain, logistics and transport management. We conduct a systematic review of the literature and find four main clusters in the co-citation analysis, namely Technology, Trust, Trade, and Traceability/Transparency. For each cluster, and based on the pool of articles included in it, we apply an inductive method of reasoning and discuss the emerging themes and applications of blockchains for supply chains, logistics and transport. We conclude by discussing the main themes for future research on blockchain technology and its application in industry and services.     

近60年来中国大陆降水、气温动态及其相互关系的初步研究

采用统计学方法,依据中国22个水文站点的资料,作出近60年来降水和气温的动态图,对22幅图逐个进行综合评价,并对降水和气温之间的相关关系进行分析,得出如下主要结论:a.中国近60年来降水表现为波动变化,年际间有增有减,各不相同,无统一增减趋势;b.气温变化亦呈波动状态,近10～20年期间多数站点气温确有增高趋势,但有些站点却表现为下降趋势,得不出统一变暖的结论;c.从降水与气温的相互影响来看,在降水多的时段或年份气温偏低,但也有相反情况,因而得不出由于气温升高,降水量统一增加或统一减少的结论;d.大多数站点降水与气温之间的相关关系并不显著,这表明降水与气温的变化还可能分别受制于某些重大影响因素;e.中国作为世界的一部分,从对中国60年来降水及气温资料的分析,似乎得不出全球气候一直变暖的结论。     

Carbon definitions and typologies in environmental impact assessment: greenhouse gas confusion?

Estimation of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) is becoming an established part of assessing sustainability within environmental impact assessment (EIA). However, a comparative study of 25 environmental impact statements (EISs) to analyse the practice of accounting for emissions during the EIA process suggests that consideration of the effects of development on emissions of GHG is poorly understood. The extent to which assessment is actually carried out is also inconsistent and sporadically implemented. A key indicator appears to be the varying and sometimes contradictory use of technical terminology, particularly of the term ‘carbon’ and its similar phraseology. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the differing terminology that is applied to GHG assessments undertaken as part of EIA process and explores the effect that misuse of these terms could have on an impact EIS.     

Mapping Sea Level Rise Behavior in an Estuarine Delta System: A Case Study along the Shanghai Coast

Sea level rise (SLR) is a major projected threat of climate change that is expected to affect developing coastal cities located in estuarine delta regions. Shanghai is one such city, being located in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). It is difficult, however, for decision-makers to implement adaptation due to the uncertain causes, magnitudes, and timings of SLR behaviors. This paper attempts to map the causes and magnitudes of SLR behaviors on a decadal scale. We analyze the tidal level records from 11 tidal gauge stations and the corresponding bathymetry measurements around these stations since 1921. We identify three new SLR behaviors along the Shanghai coast due to anthropogenic geomorphologic changes (AGCs), besides the well-known eustatic sea level rise (ESLR), tectonic subsidence (TS), and urban land subsidence (ULS). The first new behavior is regional sea level rise (RSLR), which occurs as a result of land reclamation and deep waterway regulation. The second is regional sea level fall (RSLF), which occurs because the channel bed is eroded due to sediment supply decline in the river catchment. The last SLR behavior is local tidal datum rise (LTDR). Thus, we project that the magnitude of SLR for the Shanghai coast ranges from 10 cm to 16 cm from 2011 to 2030. Clarifying SLR behaviors is important to aid local decision-makers in planning structural and non-structural measures to combat escalating flood damage costs in an estuarine delta system; this field is full of future challenges.     

全球气候变化背景下灾害性天气变化及对海上风电的影响

全面研究了我国灾害性天气状况,并基于已有的研究成果分析了全球气候变化的特点、驱动因子以及变化趋势,进一步探讨了气候变化背景下我国极端天气的响应。随后分析了海上风电场建设的气象和水文影响因素与潜在风险,特别强调了海上风电场应注意的防台风问题。     

Addressing climate change through environmental impact assessment: international perspectives from a survey of IAIA members

The 2001 Framework for Conducting Environmental Assessments of Trade Negotiations is being applied to multilateral, regional and bilateral trade negotiations and foreign investment promotion and protection agreements. This article provides an overview of the challenges and lessons learned during these assessments from the perspective of the environmental assessment of the Trade Secretariat for the Government of Canada. Recent efforts have focused on application of the Framework to investment negotiations, improving consultations and communications, and addressing the ongoing challenge of data limitations. The article closes with a discussion of some issues that require continued consideration by environmental experts and trade negotiators working in impact assessment of trade and investment negotiations.